Horizontally adjustable card holder



Feb. 14, 1967 'r. J. IVANDICK HORIZONTALLY ADJUSTABLE CARD HOLDER Filed D80 29, 1965 INVENTOR TONY J. IVANPICK United States Patent 3,304,042 HORIZONTALLY ADJUSTABLE CARD HOLDER Tony J. Ivandick, 5412 College Ave., Jennings, Mo. 63136 Filed Dec. 29, 1965, Ser. No. 517,322 Claims. (Cl. 248314) This invention relates to improvements in advertising equipment and more particularly to point-of-sale merchandising. Because the retail stores, and especially the super-markets handle such an enormous number of items, competition is keen among their suppliers to place advertising in the stores, where it will attract the attention of the customers of the store.

The invention is specifically a holder adapted to be detachably mounted on any conventional horizontal support, such as a shelf, table, counter, ledge, etc., in ready sight of the customers passing through the store, and most preferably near the check-out register of the store.

One of the objects of my invention is to so construct such a holder for a supply of booklets, cards, leaflets, coupons, etc., and from which they may be individually withdrawn, successively.

In order to have a single-size holder be capable of holding a wide range of widths that are apt to be used by the advertiser, it is an important object of the invention to so construct the holder of a pair of like, mating receptacles that may be adjusted horizontally relatively of one another to form a holder for cards of a pre-determined width, and to hold said holder in said adjusted position for as long as desired.

Another object of my invention is to so construct such a holder that it is made of a pair of like receptacles cooperating with a display card separate from the supply of cards to be dispensed, wherein the placement of said display card interlocks with both of said receptacles to hold them in their adjusted spaced-apart relation.

A further object of the invention is to so construct such a holder that each member of the pair carries a clamping element or clip to frictionally straddle the protruding shelf to hold the device in operative position.

An added object of my invention is to so construct said straddling element that a relatively larger display card may be mounted upright on the rear of the holder, and be aided in remaining upright by a lip carried by said element.

Other objects of the invention are to so construct the device that it is neat and attractive in appearance, simple in construction and operation, and very economical in cost.

To this end, my invention consists in the novel form, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described, and the uses mentioned, all as will be more clearly pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters represent like or corresponding parts throughout the views,

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation, partially in section, showing the device mounted in operative position;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross-section through the same, taken substantially along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of one of the pair of receptacles; and

FIGURE 4 is a similar perspective, taken from another angle.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is shown a pair of like receptacles A and B to be arranged in horizontal alignment to accommodate a predetermined width card for withdrawal therefrom, these receptacles made of any suitable material that is sufficiently durable and cheap enough for the intended purpose, and is attractive in appearance, and I have 3,304,942 Patented Feb. 14, 1967 "'ice found a relatively hard plastic will serve this purpose and hold its shape well.

Each receptacle has a front wall 1, a rear wall 2 substantially parallel thereto, top and bottom walls 3 and 4 in parallel relation and connecting said top and bottom walls to form an approximately box-like structure.

In order to decrease the amount of material used, said bottom wall may have one or more cut-outs 5 therethrough.

The ends of each receptacle are indicated at 6 and 7, respectively, and the receptacles are open from end-toend as indicated at 8, so as to in effect, form a tubular structure.

An opening 9 is cut through each top wall, extending from one terminal end 6 to a spaced distance from the other end 7. It is obvious that said receptacles may be adjustably moved horizontally so that both openings taken together form the enlarged opening 9 aforesaid, this larger opening being of proper size to accommodate the width of the cards 10 that form the supply from which individual ones are withdrawn.

The top and bottom edges of each receptacle are provided with forwardly projecting flanges 1111 having a groove or track 12 therealong, these top and bottom grooves opposing one another, as shown.

To interlock the receptacles in their horizontally adjusted spaced-apart relation, a display card 13 of a width slightly greater than the distance between said top and bottom flanges, may be flexed sufficiently, as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2, so as to pass the foremost edges of said flanges, whereupon freeing said card will permit the latter to spring into said grooves, as shown in full lines.

The terminal ends of said card 13 is extended at its top and bottom to form ears or tabs 14, 14 that serve as limit stops to prevent separation of the receptacle members.

To mount the device on said horizontally projecting portion of the shelf or the like, clips 15 are provided to extend rearwardly from each rear wall 2, said clips having top and bottom fingers so spaced apart that they will frictionally engage said shelf and straddle the same.

Another display card 16, preferably wider and higher than said cards that are to be withdrawn, may be carried at the rear of the device, as by forming a lip 17 extending upright along the juncture of the upper finger and the rear wall, preferably projecting slightly rearwardly toward its free edge, to tend to press against said display card 16 after the latter has been put into position.

Th: entire device may be pre-assembled if desired, with the cards 13 and 16 in place, before pressing the said device onto said projecting shelf portion.

I claim:

1. A holder for successive withdrawal of individual cards therefrom, and adapted to be suspended by a horizontally projecting shelf, comprising a pair of like opposed hollow box-like receptacles laterally adjustably movable relatively of one another, each receptacle having substantially parallel front and rear walls, a top and a bottom wall and open at one end, and legs carried by said rear walls to clamp on said shelf, said top walls having an opening therethrough extending from said opposed open ends and terminating at a spaced distance from their other ends whereby said receptacles may be adjustably moved relatively of one another to receive a supply of said cards of pre-determined width through said combined top openings, and a display card whose length is greater than that of said combined top opening and engaging and interlocking with said pair of receptacles for detachably maintaining the latter in their spaced apart adjusted relation.

2. A holder as set forth in claim 1, further characterized in that the front Walls of said receptacles have grooves extending along their top and bottom edges so that said display card may engage in said grooves.

3. A holder as set forth in claim 2, further characterized in that said display card is slightly wider than the distance between said top and bottom grooves, whereby said display card may be flexed sufficiently in width to permit of its engagement Within said grooves.

4. A holder as set forth in claim 3, further characterized in that said display card has vertically extending end tabs to abut the terminal ends of said grooves to limit separation of said receptacles.

5. A holder as set forth in claim 1, further characterized in that each receptacle has said pair of legs projecting therefrom for frictionally straddling said shelf, and a resiliently yieldable lip along the juncture of each rear Wall with one of said legs to engage a second display card placed between said lip and rear wall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1959 Shenkin 21l55 

1. A HOLDER FOR SUCCESSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF INDIVIDUAL CARDS THEREFROM, AND ADAPTED TO BE SUSPENDED BY A HORIZONTALLY PROJECTING SHELF, COMPRISING A PAIR OF LIKE OPPOSED HOLLOW BOX-LIKE RECEPTACLES LATERALLY ADJUSTABLY MOVABLE RELATIVELY OF ONE ANOTHER, EACH RECEPTACLE HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL FRONT AND REAR WALLS, A TOP AND A BOTTOM WALL AND OPEN AT ONE END, AND LEGS CARRIED BY SAID REAR WALLS TO CLAMP ON SAID SHELF, SAID TOP WALLS HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH EXTENDING FROM SAID OPPOSED OPEN ENDS AND TERMINATING AT A SPACED DISTANCE FROM THEIR OTHER ENDS WHEREBY SAID RECEPTACLES MAY BE ADJUSTABLY MOVED RELATIVELY OF ONE ANOTHER TO RECEIVE A SUPPLY OF SAID CARDS OF PRE-DETERMINED WIDTH THROUGH SAID COMBINED TOP OPENINGS, AND A DISPLAY CARD WHOSE LENGTH IS GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID COMBINED TOP OPENING AND ENGAGING AND INTERLOCKING WITH SAID PAIR OF RECEPTACLES FOR DETACHABLY MAINTAINING THE LATTER IN THEIR SPACED APART ADJUSTED RELATION. 